Dark Streets: Liberty City
by orangepeach
Summary: The game GTA3 about the twisted underworld of Liberty City comes to life.
1. A Nice Place To Live

Dark Streets: Liberty City   
A fanfic based on the video game Grand Theft Auto 3  
by OrangePeach   
  
_This is a work of fan fiction based on an already copyrighted product. The author realizes the rights of the product being written and assumes no fraudulent intent or copyright infringement was intended in the creation of her work. This story is written for entertainment purposes only._   
  
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Part One: Portland   
  
1: A Nice Place to Live

  
  
Liberty City, New York was a fantastic place to be if you were a drug dealer, a murderer, a rapist, a child preditor, a con artist, or even a petty theif. It was a dark city overlooking the ocean, divided into three districts: Shoreside Vale, the residential district; Staunton Island, the commercial district; and Portland, the industrial district. The latter is where Eddie d'Angelo made his home.   
  
Eddie d'Angelo looked out his kitchen window from his apartment and watched as seagulls crossed over the cloudy sky. The sun never shined in Liberty City anymore, at least not in Portland. He glanced down at the table in front of him to the newspaper, the _Liberty Tree_. The front page had a single black-and-white photo of the Callahan Bridge, the connection between Portland and Staunton Island. **Seven dead, twenty injured in bridge blast** was the headline. Beneath the aerial photograph of the exploded bridge was this caption:   
  
_Police convoy transporting three inmates to Liberty City Penetentiary was ambushed last Saturday by a group of unknown assailents. Details are few, but there is proof of a bomb being detonated, killing and injuring many passersby. The Callahan Bridge will be out of commition indefinately._   
  
Eddie thought back to that day. Details were few indeed, but Eddie remembered several men in black, swinging open the doors, shooting the driver and one guard, and then a large, ear-splitting blast. The next thing he knew, he was speeding away in an abandoned car with another inmate. That inmate was his friend and former cellmate 8-Ball.   
  
"Drive me to my place," he said. "Then get your ass home. Lay low for awhile." 8-Ball's hands were injured in an accident at the holding jail a week earlier, rendering him unable to drive. Eddie dropped his friend off at his junkyard in Harwood, changed his clothes, and then drove back to his apartment in St. Mark's. It had all happened so fast, Eddie thought his head was spinning.   
  
Eddie flipped open to the classified ads and began running his finger along the columns. He had only been free for two days, and he'd need a job to pay for his utilities again. He was happy that his mother had paid next month's rent for him so he could come home to a warm, yet cluttered house and sleep for a day or two. There was something about jail that made him so tired. He was lucky the lights were still on -- there were two warnings from Liberty Edison in his mail box. He'd have to remember to pay that when he got some cash together.   
  
Eddie stumbled upon an ad in the middle of pace 1c. It was short but to the point: 'Joey's Garage is seeking employement. Call 555-0495'. He frowned when he realized that he didn't yet have a cell phone, so calling was out of the question. He'd have to go down and visit the place today.   
  
_Not a bad idea,_ he thought. He ripped out the page, stuffed it in his jeans pocket and headed for the door.   
  


#/#

  
  
Joey Leone's Garage was in Trenton -- just on the southeast side of Portland. The cab ride was quick and cheap, and Eddie was glad to be there by noon. It was right across from the Bitchin' Dog Food factory, so it wasn't hard to find. He got out of the cab, paid the driver, and walked up to the open garage. Inside, there was a man, dressed in faded blue coveralls, underneath the chassis of a almost-finished BF Injection. The buggy looked like it had been in a wreck previously, and wasn't very attractive. There were loud noises all through the garage: welders were welding car frames back together, men were working on cars pushed up on high platforms. They were all dressed in similar blue coveralls.   
  
"You Joey?" Eddie asked, walking into the garage. "I'm Eddie. I read your ad in the _Tree_."   
  
The man, a large, Italian-blooded native, pushed himself out from under the buggy. His face was covered with engine oil, and he frowned when he saw Eddie standing there.   
  
"What ad?" he asked.   
"The ad in the paper -- about the job?"   
  
The man, Joey Leone, chuckled. "I don't know what your talkin' about. I ain't put no ad in no paper." He pushed himself back under the car. "Get your ass outta here kid," he instructed Eddie with obvious amusement. "Go wind some work at a fast food joint. I ain't hiring."   
  
Eddie scowled and removed the paper from his back pocket. "I've got the paper right here," he said. "It says your place is looking for employment. Then it has your phone number."   
  
"Kid, I ain't got time to put no high school boy to work," Joey explained irritably. "I'm looking for someone who knows cars, not someone who wishes they were Dale Earnhart or somethin'." He gestured with his hand. "Now go. I'm busy."   
  
Eddie put his hands on his hips. "Mr. Leone," he said. "If you want that car to start, you should at least plug in the high-tention cable to the ditributor." He smirked. "No point in rebuilding the whole carburator if that's not plugged in first."   
  
There was a slight pause. Leone pushed out from under the car. "Well, shit kid," he said with a grin. "Thanks for pointin' that out. Looks like you know more than I thought." He got up and stretched out a dirty hand. "Joey Leone," he introduced himself. "What did you say your name was? Freddy?"   
  
"Eddie," he said, shaking his hand. "Eddie d'Angelo. Nice to meet you sir."  
"You say you know cars?"  
"Yessir."  
"How well?"  
"I took auto shop in high school," Eddie explained. "And I worked as an auto mechanic's aid in Jeuvie." He decided not to add the part about him being in jail. "I'm pretty good at what I do and know sir."  
"I can see that. Tell you what kid," Leone said, pointing to the back of the room. "There's a guy back there, his name is Scott. Tell him I said to get you an application and a work schedule." He smiled. "I'm a guy short tonight. We'll give you a trial run if you want."   
  
"Thanks," Eddie said. "Scott, you said?"  
"Yeah. Skinny kid with red hair. You'll notice him."   
  
Eddie walked past Leone and his buggy and walked through a small opened door at the end of the room. He entered into the lobby area of the garage, and walked up to the first guy he saw: a tall kid in blue coveralls with a blue baseball cap. The cap had a Joey's Garage patch on the front, and across the kid's left pectoral there was a similar patch with the name 'Scott' sewn onto it.   
  
"Hey," Eddie said. "You must be Scott, right?"  
The kid raised his head. He was the only worker who was not covered from head to toe in oil and grease. "No," he said sarcastically. "I'm just wearing his uniform. Whaddya want? I'm busy."  
Eddie jabbed his thumb behind him. "Mr. Leone sent me back here. Said you'd give me an application and a work schedule."  
Scott laughed. "So, you're the new hired gun around here?" he asked. "Shit, you'll be pushin' up daisies before the end of the week!"   
  
Eddie wasn't so sure what he meant, but he ignored it. "Could I fill the application out here? I really ain't got no where's else to go."  
"Good, it's gonna take awhile," Scott said. "Yeah, take a seat over there --" he pointed to an old, dusty chair against the glass window, "--and take your time. I'll get you a schedule when your done."   
  
Scott passed Eddie an application from across the counter. Eddie picked it up. "Damn, this shit is thick as hell," he remarked. "Is this like the GED? No peaking or asking for help?"   
  
"Take your time," Scott repeated. "Not a test, just info." He glanced over his right shoulder and sighed. "Aw, shit, man. Hold on. I'll be right back."   
  
As Scott went into the garage from the small door, Eddie took a seat on one of the chairs. He removed a pen from his jacket pocket and filled in his name, age, and address. Immediately following the basic bits of knowlege, there was an odd question:   
  
_Are you or have you ever had any connections with a crime family/syndicate? If so, explain._   
  
Eddie raised an eyebrow. _That's a strange question,_ he thought. _Why would they ask me that?_   
  
As he looked up to call out to Scott, he noticed that Scott was already preoccupied. He was standing with three girls, all of which were probably in their early twenties. They were all three different races -- one was black, one was Hispanic, and one was white. The white girl, who was significantly shorter than the other two, was facing away from Eddie, talking adamantly with Scott. She was wearing a maroon, velvet coat, and her long, strawberry-blonde hair was spilling out over her shoulders. Eddie stared at the girl, wondering if he saw her before, and found himself wishing she would turn around so he could see her face.   
  
Scott looked like he was yelling, but their girls didn't. One of them, the Hispanic one, turned and looked at Eddie. Her face was square, her dark hair was short and spiky. When she smiled at him, Eddie quickly looked back down at his application.   
  
A second later, Eddie heard the door opening, and looked back up again. Scott had reentered the store, his face scowling. The girls, however, were gone.  
"Bitch," he muttered under his breath. "Give an inch, she takes a mile."   
Eddie looked back down at his application. He picked up his pen and silently wrote 'no' beneath the question.   
  


#/#

  
  
Later that night, Eddie found himself beneath the hood of a junky old Esperanto with the front wheels missing. Next to him, Joey Leone, stood watching his every move.   
  
"It's the antifreeze resevoir," Eddie said finally, pointing to the problem areas. "There's a crack the size of Georgia in it. It has to be replaced."  
Leone nodded. "Very good. And?"   
  
Eddie's eyes darted around. He smiled and pointed. "The serpantine belt is wearing out. That'll need to be replaced too. The owners didn't take to good care of this car, huh?"   
  
"What do you expect from a group of spics?" Leone joked. "Got this heap of shit from some Diablo wannabes. They don't know shit. Looks like they've taken it out on side roads once two often." He patted Eddie on the back. "Go ahead and fix this up, kid. Scott will be around to help out soon. I've got to get the hell out of here for the night. You do well tonight, and we'll see you again tomorrow and on Thursday too. Start you off at minimum, but I'm sure you'll work to be far up in the line."   
  
"Thanks, sir," Eddie said. "I appreciate that."  
"Aw knock off that formal bullshit. It's Mr. Leone to you, ok?"  
Eddie watched as Leone headed towards the garage door exit. Before he could get too far, Eddie called out to him. "Hey! Mr. Leone?"  
He turned around. "Yeah?"  
"What...what was with the questions on the application? About the mob and stuff like that?"   
  
Leone chuckled. "Aw, you know, kid. There's lots of gangs around Liberty City. You never know if you're working with one or not." He shrugged. "This used to be a nice place to live, but it's like Shit's Landing, right?"   
  
Eddie nodded. "Yeah. I guess." 


	2. The Girl in the Red Velvet Coat

2. The Girl in the Red Velvet Coat

  
  
A week went by, and Eddie was already enjoying his work. He got two days off a week, but even then he found himself constantly drawn to Joey Leone's garage. Not only were there nice cars to work on, but Leone was a great guy to work under. He was tough but well-mannered, and would once in awhile let Eddie help him out on his BF Injection, a car that only Leone worked on.   
  
"This is my baby," he said, patting it fondly. "I got it from someone for free. It was in shitty condition when I first got it, but I work my ass off to see it one day run again." He laughed. "You know what the 'BF' in BF Injection stands for?" "What?"  
"Big fuckin'. Big fuckin' Injection." He laughed loud and slapped Eddie on the shoulder. "I don't trust too many of my guys around this car, so consider it an honor to come this close, y'hear?"   
  
Eddie couldn't see the fuss. The car was a peice of awkward crap. It didn't run, it was unattractive, and it ate gas. But he wasn't going to tell Leone this.  
"I'm flattered, Mr. Leone," was all he said.   
  
When he went back to work on the old Esperanto, Scott strolled up to him. "Kissing his ass, I see," he said. "Nice way to get ahead."  
Eddie shook his head. "Man, I don't see what he sees in that heap of junk, but I ain't going to lose my job tellin' him."  
"Don't worry," Scott said. "He won't believe you even if you did open your mouth. Oh by the way, it's lunch time. Take a break, man. Let me take over."   
  
Eddie was happy to go to lunch. His stomach was growling so loudly. He thought about running down the road to a cafe or something, but as he entered the store to clock out, he heard giggling voices coming from one of the aisles. At first he thought it was a customer, so he waited a minute before clocking out to service them.   
  
As he waited, he heard three girls come walking up from the nearest aisle. Eddie put his head down to open the cash register, so he couldn't see who they were. "Can I help you?" he asked.   
  
"Yeah, you know where I can find Scott Riley?" a soft, feminine, Jersey-accented voice asked.   
  
Eddie looked up. Standing in front of him was a young woman, about twenty or twenty-one, wearing a knee-length, maroon, velvet coat with black feathers for trim around the collar, cuffs, and bottom. She was a small girl with big brown eyes, a heart-shaped face, and crimson red lips. She was tapping her neatly manicured, blood-red nails on the glass counter-top.   
  
Behind her, to her left, was the Hispanic woman. She was about four or five inches taller than the blonde, with dark brown lipstick and eyeshadow. She was chewing gum, and her squinty eyes were looking Eddie up and down. Instead of a red coat, she was wearing a short, black pleather jacket, with brown suede pants. To her left, the black woman was standing. She was a tall, fairly plump woman with an even plumper red-and-blue winter coat over her shoulders. She was more interested in her nails, as Eddie could see.   
  
"Um...hello?" the blonde asked again.   
  
Eddie realized that he had let too long pass before he answered her. "Oh, yeah. Scott. He's in the back, busy."   
  
The blonde glanced at her watch. "He's supposed to buy me lunch," she said. "Can you go get him for me?"  
"Can't," Eddie said. "I'm about to clock out." He shurgged. "Sorry."   
  
The blonde rolled her eyes and sighed. She turned to her companions. "Can you guys wait out here for me? I'm going inside." She turned back to Eddie. "I can go in, can't I?"  
"Sure. I'm on break. I don't care," he informed her. "Go ahead."   
  
The blonde gave him a quick smile and then went into the garage, leaving her two girlfriends behind. Eddie watched her go, and noticed fishnet stockings under her coat.   
  
The Hispanic one smiled at him. "What's yer name?" she asked.  
Eddie looked at her. "Eddie."  
"Eddie," the woman repeated. "Eddie spaghetti."   
  
Her friend giggled. Eddie didn't. "Yeah, real cute toots," he said. "I gotta go." 


	3. A Small Favor

3. A Small Favor

  
  
"Hey, kid," Leone said, walking up from the back office. "I got a favor for you."  
Eddie pushed himself out from underneath a junky Idaho. "Yeah, boss?" he asked, wiping his hands off on an oil-stained cloth. "Need me to torque the Injection again?"   
  
"Naw, this is somethin' real different," Leone said. "My friend Luigi Goterelli -- he owns the Sex Club 7 in Red Light. He needs a favor. I told him that you were the best guy I knew. I'll give you the rest of the afternoon off if you go do this favor for him."  
Eddie thought about it. Wisely, he said, "What's in it for me?"   
  
Leone laughed. "Smart kid. Don't worry, Luigi is a good man. No favor ever goes unpaid." "How much?"  
"Dunno. You'll have to ask him about it. But Luigi doesn't stiff people, trust me. I've known this guy for years. He's a good friend of my father's. Trust him, alright?"   
  
Eddie nodded and sat up. "I think I can use some more work. It'll help me out with rent." He stood up. "You got it, boss. I'll be right there."  
Leone smiled. "That's my boy."   
  
Eddie turned to grab his car keys. As he did, he saw Scott hovering in a dark corner of the garage. "Hey Scott!" he called out, "mind taking over for me for a few hours? I got some business to take care of."   
  
Scott smiled. "You're heading to Luigi's, huh?" He laughed. "I knew it! Joey was looking for someone to do the mob's dirty shit, and you were just the right guy to come along. He walked over to the Idaho and sat a wrench down on the hood. "I don't know if I envy you or pity you, but I do know know a go-fer when I see one."  
"Gofer?"  
"Yeah. Joey found some guy about a year ago that would do their dirty shit. After about six months into the biz, they caught him squealin' to the Feds. After that," he made his fingers into a gun and touched the 'barrel' to his temple. "Pow! That was the end of him. Looks like they need another guy to fill in."  
Eddie suddenly grew cold. "Look man, I ain't doin' nothin' but earnin' some extra cash, alright?"  
"Hey, man, just be careful. That's all I'm saying." Scott smiled. "Have fun man. Luigi's got some hot girls. Don't be afraid to check one out, ok?" 


	4. Luigi's Girl

4. Luigi Goterelli: Luigi's Girl

  


Eddie took a taxi from work in Trenton all the way across town to the Redlight District, where he immediately was impressed by what he saw. Lots of strip clubs. Plenty of adult bookstores and theaters. Hookers were on the street, dressed in trashy outfits, looking for their next trick. There were some studio apartments in this Neighborhood, and if this place interested him enough, he was going to look into getting a new apartment there. Best of all, the Neighborhood wasn't too far from the El-Train, which was just a mile and a half down the road.

  


Eddie got out of the cab in front of Sex Club 7, Luigi's place. It was an obvious night club with escorts, which probably was a front for something a little more illicit. But Eddie didn't care, he was happy to get a few extra bucks on the side. He walked around to the back of the club and up to the back door. 

  


After a knock, a tall man answered. 

"I'm hear about the favor?" Eddie said. "I'm Eddie d'Angelo. I'm here for Luigi."

A second later, a shorter, square-faced Italian man appeared at the door. "You must be that kid Joey was talking about," he said. "I'm Luigi. Nice to see ya."

"Nice meeting you, sir," Eddie said. "Now what was this favor you had?"

"It's pretty simple," he explained. "You go pick up my best girl Misty from the clinic in Portland View. Bring her back here untouched and unscathed. She ain't for free ya know." He nodded. "Do this, and you got fifteen hundred in the bank."

"You got it sir," Eddie said nodding. "What's her name again?"

"Misty," Luigi said. "Now hurry up. She's due back here for work." He pointed to an old Stallion parked in the alley. "Take that car, but don't screw it up."

Eddie nodded again. "You've got it, Mr. Goterelli."

"Do this right kid," Luigi said, "and you'll earn the right to call me by my first name."

  


#/#

  


Eddie drove the Stallion to Portland View about five miles away from the club. He drove right up to Sweeney Hospital, where there was a smaller health clinic wing right next to it. It had already begun to rain, and standing under the clinic's awning was a woman in a green jacket and red short-shorts stood with a newspaper over her head. She had tall high heels on, and a huge swinging purse over one shoulder. 

  


Eddie knew that must be Misty, simply for the way she was dressed. He rolled down the window. "Hi, I'm Misty," she said. "You must be Luigi's new go-fer." 

Eddie paused. "Yeah, that's me I suppose."

"Well, let me in, baby. I'm soaking wet, and not in the good way!"

  


Eddie unlocked the door for her, and Misty opened the back, driver-side door. She climbed in and slammed the door behind her. "Damn, it's raining hard," she said in a very nasal accent. "Where you from, kid? Around here?"

"Born in the LC, ma'am." Eddie replied, pulling into traffic. "You?"

"Nah, I'm from Upstate," she said. "Came here when I was twenty-three." She looked at him. "What Neighborhoor?"

"Saint Mark's," he replied, looking at her through the rear-view mirror.

"All the big-leaguers are from Saint Mark's," Misty commented. "Been workin' for Luigi long?"

"No, I work for Joey Leone."

Misty giggled. "Sure ya do." She paused to rifle around in her purse and pulled out some papers. "Lookie! I got my tests back! I'm negative for the third straight month! Isn't that cool?"

Eddie tried to hide a smile. "Yeah, good for you."

"HIV, gonerreah, chlamydia, warts and pregnancy. All negative!"

  


Eddie gave her a smile. "I'm happy for you."

  


#/#

Misty climbed out of the car and ran up to the back door of the club, still holding the newspaper over her head. Luigi stood at the door smiling. "How'd it go, sweetheart?" he asked her.

She handed him her papers. "All negative! Check it out!"

Luigi glanced at the health report and then handed them back to her. "Good to hear you can still work, babe. Now get your ass back to work before I pound it."

He slapped her on the ass as she skipped ahead inside. Then, he fixed his eyes on Eddie, who got out next. 

  


"You did good, kid," Luigi said. "I'm proud. I know that if I ever need another favor, I can count on you right?"

Eddie stuck his hands into his jacket pockets. "Yes sir. It's my pleasure, sir."

"And your reward," Luigi held out his hand in a hand shake. When Eddie shook his hand, he felt money being pressing against his palm."

"Don't be spending that shit so fast, ok? Get youself a nice suit or something. A new place. Somewhere where the Feds won't notice you, alright?"

"Sure thing Mr. Goterelli," Eddie said, slipping the money into his pocket. "I'll do just that."

"Good. Keep up the good work, kid. I see good things in your future."

  


With that, Luigi went back inside his club.

  


#/#

Eddie took a cab back to the garage, where he noticed the store was already closed. It was after dark, but the garage was still active inspite of the store having a gigantic bCLOSED/b sign in front of it. He paid the cab fare and unlocked the store door so he could get in. He turned on the light, and walked up to the counter, where there was a note waiting for him on the counter top by the cash register. 

  


It was from Scott:

_Hey man,_

_Had to leave the shop early. Won't be in until Friday._

_--Scott_

  


Just as soon as he finished reading the note, Eddie heard the bells on the door ring and footsteps on the linoleum. He started to say "Sorry, we're closed," but then he turned around.

Standing in the doorway was the girl he saw a week ago. She was still wearing her red velvet coat, and her hair was pulled up into a ponytail. She was dressed in knee-high boots and a short sky-blue skirt, but couldn't tell what kind of blouse she was wearing underneath it. Her lips were dark red with lipstick.

"Sorry, I saw the light on," she said.

Eddie stared at her. "Can I help you?" he asked. 

The girl shrugged. "Is Scott still here?" she asked. 

"Nah, he closed up shop and left." He held up the note. "Got the evidence right here."

The girl groaned. "Damn it! I was hoping he could give me a ride to work before he went home." She glanced at her wristwatch. "No time to walk to his apartment." 

"You can always hail a cab," Eddie suggested. "They're everywhere."

The girl shook her head. "Ain't got the cab fare," she said. "I'm supposted to get my paycheck tonight, but I can't get to work."

  


Eddie thought for a second, then reached into his pocket. "Here," he said, opening his wallet and taking out three ten dollar bills. "Where do you work?"

"Callahan Point." She said. Then smiled. "Hey, are you Eddie?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

She smiled and took the money. "Scott's been talking about some guy named Eddie at work," she explained. "Plus, my friend mentioned that you were cute."

Eddie laughed. "Isn't that interesting," he said blythly. 

  


The girl pocketed the money and adjusted her coat. "Guess I'll go to work," she said. "See ya."

Eddie watched as she turned around and walked out the door. It dawned on him that he didn't even know her name. Quickly, he rushed outside. She was waiting on the sidewalk, waving her hand wildly to get a cab's attention. 

  


"Hey!" he said. "I didn't get your name!" he yelled, raising his voice over noisy traffic.

She turned to him and smiled. "Why do you need to know my name?" she teased.

"Well, I usually don't give cash to complete strangers," he said. "Let me at least know your name."

She smiled. "Mimosa," she said. "But my friends and family call me Mimi."

"Mimosa," Eddie repeated. "That's a nice name. Haven't heard too many like it."

The girl, now known as Mimosa, shrugged bashfully. "I suppose not."

  


A yellow cab pulled up and came to a hault next to her. She lifted her hand to open the back door when suddenly another hand was there, taking the handle. "Let me help," Eddie said, as she turned her head to look at him. He smiled and opened the door wide for her. 

  


Mimi looked at him with an amused look in her eye. Without saying a word, she stepped inside the cab. 

"So, will I see you again?" Eddie asked, holding the door wide open. "I mean, I might insist that we do."

Mimi raised an eyebrow. Still smiling, she asked, "Why is that?"

"Because you may just have to pay me back for cab fare," he joked. 

  


She giggled and reached over. Thinking she was going to take his hand, Eddie held his out, palm up to take hers. She surprised him by grabbing the door handle and shutting the cab door. Perplexed, Eddie knocked on the window. 

Inside the cab, Mimi told the driver to wait. Then, she rolled down her window. "_Will_ I get to see you again?" he asked her. 

With a playful grin, Mimi shrugged. "Callahan Point," she told the driver. "Twenty-fifth and sixteenth."

  


Slowly, the cab drove off, leaving Eddie behind. With a shake of his head (but also a hidden smile), he turned to walk back into the store.


	5. Don't Smacka Ma Bitch Up

5. Luigi Goterelli: Don't Spanka Ma Bitch Up

  
  
The gleaming sex of the Redlight District proved too much to ignore for Eddie. One day, two weeks later, he found himself getting eviction notices right and left at his old apartment in Saint Mark's. He finally packed up a few of his things, put them in two suitcases and went to get a studio apartment not far from Luigi's club.   
  
That day, Eddie rented a moving van to get some of his furniture moved in. As he was busy loading his microwave into the van, he heard a female voice call out, "Hey! Eddie spaghetti!"   
  
Puzzled, Eddie turned around. He saw a Hispanic-looking woman with dark hair and wearing a black coat walking up to the van. She was wearing a lot of make up, he noticed. Eddie looked at her. "Do I know you?"  
"Nah," she said in a slight Spanish accent. "Maybe you don't remember me. I'm Meadow -- one of Mimi's friends?"  
Eddie thought the woman looked familiar. "Oh. Hi there," he said politely. Then turned around.  
"You movin' in?" she asked.   
"No. Out."  
"You lived her? Wow! So did I! I mean, I do. I do live here." She looked at the furniture. "Need any help?"  
"No, thanks though," Eddie said.   
  
There was a pause. Then the woman said, "Mimi called me last night. She said she ran into you two weeks ago."  
Eddie suddenly was interested. He straightened and smiled. "Mimi mentioned me?" he asked. "What else did she say?"  
"She said that you were really nice about the cab fare," she went on. "She said she didn't think there was a decent guy in this city until now."  
Eddie scratched his head bashfully. "What did you say your name was?"  
"Meadow." She grinned. "Mimi's a good friend of mine."  
"Oh," Eddie said, sort of uncomfortable now. "Hey, you know where she works?"  
"Eh, somewhere in Callahan Point," Meadow said, shrugging. She picked up one black, patent-leather Mary Jane and scratched her ankle with her toe. "Listen, it's good to run into you."  
"Yeah," Eddie said, secretly glad she was leaving. "Nice meeting you Meadow."  
  
  
Before he could turn back to his work, Meadow suddenly asked, "Hey, there's a really nice little coffee shop just a few blocks down," she explained. "Want to grab a cup of coffee? I could tell you a little bit more about Mimi if you want."  
Eddie's first thought was, _damn, she looks like trouble to me,_. Then the thought about learning more about this girl was fascinating. So he replied, "That would be great."  
Meadow grinned, showing off a gap in her front teeth. "Wanna take my car?"  
  


#/#

  
  
"So, how long have you been workin' at Joey's?" Meadow asked, twirling a swizzle stick in her styrafome cup of coffee. She looked a lot different without her pleather jacket on. She was wearing a tight red blouse with a square-cut neck and spaghetti straps. The blouse showed a lot of cleavage, and Eddie found him self staring at the lucious mounds of her full breasts. She was also wearing a short black skirt that showed off her skinny legs.   
  
"Not long," Eddie said, lifting his eyes to meet hers. He sipped his coffee. "Less than a month, probably."  
"I've seen you there everytime we go into that shop," she said. "What do you do all day?"  
He eyed the lacy top of a thigh-high stocking as she crossed her legs. "Fix cars," he said. "That's it. It's pretty boring."  
Meadow nodded and smiled. When she did, Eddie noted that she was indeed wearing too much makeup. "Pay good, though?"  
"Not bad," he replied. "So what do you do?"  
  
Meadow blinked. "Hmm?"  
"You know, for money? What do you do?"  
She shrugged. "Some odd jobs here and there just to pay the rent. You know how it is. Robbing Peter to pay Paul." She examined the candy-red nail polish on her fingernails. "I'm trying to save enough cash to get the hell out of here. Move some place where the sun shines a bit more often."  
Eddie glanced out the window. It was extremely foggy and overcast. "Yeah, I'll bet. Where do you want to go?"  
"Vice City."   
"Florida?"  
"Yeah. Get an apartment right on the beach and watch the sun rise."  
"Have family there?"  
"Nah."  
"Friends?"  
"Nope. Just opportunity." She gulped a bit of her coffee. "Mimi and Alisha -- that's our other friend -- want to do the same. We've been talking about moving out of Liberty City since we were little. We've all been saving up."  
"Mimi wants to go too?"  
Meadow nodded. "Yeah, she can't stand it here. She says it's too dirty. She and Alisha want to go to college, but I just want to get out of--"  
"College?" Eddie asked. "Why?"  
"Mimi's like that. Smart and stuff." Meadow chuckled. "Always has her head in the clouds though."  
  
Before Eddie could reply, he glanced at his watch. "Shit!" he exclaimed. "I'm late for work!"  
"Well, wait!" Meadow said, standing with him. "You need a ride there?"  
"Nah, I'll catch a cab."  
"Sure?"  
"Positive." He threw his jacket back on. "Thanks for coffee, kid. I appreciate it."  
Suddenly, Meadow grabbed his hand and pressed something into his palm. "Here," she said, closing his fingers around it, "just in case you want a free ride home next time."  
Then she quickly picked up her coat and walked out of the cafe.  
  
Eddie left the cafe too, a few minutes later and found himself in a Cabbie, waiting to be taken to work. He looked at what Meadow had given him. On a tiny piece of paper the size of half a business card were seven digits; her pager number.  
**555-7304**  
  


#/#

  
  
Eddie entered Joey Leone's garage, where Scott was standing at the old Esperanto. He looked a bit perturbed, and he narrowed his eyes at Eddie as he walked in. "You're late," he remarked. "Where were you?"  
  
"Breakfast," Eddie said proudly.   
Scott's face broke into a smile. "Dude, you were with a _woman,_ weren't you?" He laughed. "Damn! Who's the lucky girl?"  
"No one special," Eddie said. "I just went with her for the coffee." He added, "I'm more interested in her friend."  
  


#/#

  
  
At lunch, Eddie took a cab over to Luigi Goterelli's night club. He liked the idea of making a few bucks here and there by doing some guy's dirty work, just as long as the money was good. He earned points not only with Joey Leone, but also with Luigi. Keeping up a good rep with the locals meant good business, and in a little while, he'd have enough saved to get his own car.   
  
As he knocked on the back door, he noticed a baseball bat leaning by the stairs. A second later, the door opened, and standing there was Luigi's tall bodyguard. He scratched his head and said, "Uh, Luigi wanted me to give you this." He handed Eddie a sheet of paper and then wordlessly closed the door.  
  
Surprised, Eddie looked at the letter. It read:  
_Some pusher out at the Docks has been introducing my girls to that new street drug SPANK. I don't want my girls near that shit! Take the bat and teach that scum bucket a lesson! Then, take his car to the Pay-N-Spray here in Red Light, and drop the car off in the alley in Portland View._  
  
Eddie looked up and smiled. Finally, a real job!  
  


#/#

  
  
Eddie arrived at Portland Harbor, which wasn't too far from Joey Leone's garage. He told the cab driver to take a hike, and got out to wait. He walked down the large, nearly-empty parking lot, past the gigantic fuctioning cranes and right up to the frighter ships docked right near them. As he turned a corner, her heard female voices laughing and talking near a stack of boxes. Eddie looked and saw a unkempt man holding out small bags of white powder to the ladies.   
  
"This is good stuff, eh?" the pusher said. "Try some honey. You'll like."  
One of the hookers, one that was wearing a Sex Club 7 emblem on her jacket. She handed the pusher a wad of money and took the bag from him.   
  
Eddie placed the bat behind his back and began walking up the the small group. "Hey!" he called out. "Save some of that stuff for me!"  
The pusher whirled around, startled. "What the hell...? Who are you?"   
Eddie shrugged. "Just a customer," he said. "Don't be stingy now. That's good stuff, just like you said."  
The pusher looked confused. "Uh...look man, I don't know--"  
  
One of the girls pointed a finger at Eddie. "That's the guy that's been doin' stuff for Luigi!" she remarked. "He's not gonna be happy we're here!"  
As the pusher turned around to confront him, he was greeted by a sharp blow to the face.   
  
The hooker's screamed as Eddie began pummeling the pusher with his ball bat. Eddie beat the guy over and over again, until he was on the ground and blood spattered and spread everywhere. He beat him until they guy was silent and lay dead. His lifeless hand lay over a bag of SPANK. Eddie picked up the blood-coated bag and turned to the frightened hookers. "Get back to work," he said. "If Luigi finds out--" he pointed to the dead pusher. "--there will be a lot worse to come for you."  
  
The girls whimpered and scampered off, leaving Eddie alone with the dead man. When they were gone, Eddie knelt down and removed the guys wallet. He slipped hundreds of dollars worth of money into his own wallet, and then turned to the pusher's maroon Idaho.   
Lucky for Eddie, the keys were still in the ignition and the doors were unlocked. All Eddie had to do was climb into the car, start it up, and then drive off. He drove the car carefully through the streets of Chinatown, then pulled into Red Light with no sign of the cops anywhere. He was careful not to draw attention to himself as he pulled into the Pay-N-Spray to get the car painted.   
The attendent, oblivious to what just took place, walked up to him. "What color, sir?"  
Eddie shrugged. "Uh...blue, I guess."  
"Candy?"  
"Huh?"  
"Candy? You know, candy paint? Want that done to it?"  
Eddie shook his head. "Naw, just paint it. And hurry up, I got places to be."  
The attended snorted. "Don't we all?"  
  
Half-an-hour later, Eddie was back on the road, driving a newly painted Idaho over to Portland View. He glanced at the note in his hand and followed the directions to a tee to an abandoned lot in an alley way. He parked the car, left the keys in the ignition, and closed the door. Whistling a tune, he casually walked out of the alley and onto the sidewalk to hail a cab.  
  


#/#

  
  
Eddie returned to the garage, but not in a cab. After pocketing the pusher's money, he decided to go to a used car dealership on the other side of town and picked out a used but well-conditioned orange Kuruma. It was fairly inexpensive and it drove pretty well, so Eddie plunked down some cash and bought the car for himself.   
  
He smirked at Scott when he pulled up. "Pretty nice, huh?" he said. "I bought it ten minutes ago."  
Scott laughed. "It looks like crap," he remarked. When Eddie frowned at him, Scott held up his hands in submission. "Let me put some ground effects on it, or a turbo-charger under the hood. It needs some sort of work.  
"Nah, I just need something to get me around town," Eddie replied. "Where's Joey?"  
"He's inside, but look man--" Scott patted the hood of the Kuruma as Eddie exited the car. "--you're going to need something to make you go fast if you're going to keep working for the Mob, ok?"  
  
Before Eddie could reply, he heard someone calling his name. It was Joey, standing in the garage and yelling over the sound of loud machinery. In his hand, he held a check.  
"Hey kid!" he called, running up to him. "You've got some mail!"  
  
When he approached, he handed Eddie a check. It was from Luigi Goterelli and it was for $2000.   
"Weeg said you did good today," he said. "He's proud, so I'm proud." Leone patted him on the back. "Good job, kid. Keep up the good work. Oh, and next Friday night, Weeg is having a big party at his club. You should come. Bring a date."  
Eddie smiled. "Thanks. Maybe I will."  
"Nah, no 'maybe'," Leone said. "Do it." With a chuckle, Leone walked away.  
  
After he was gone, Scott started laughing. "'Do it'," he mocked. "Man, Joey's got you by the balls."  
"It's good money," Eddie explained. "Where else am I gonna make money this hot?"  
"Well, you could get a regular job," he said. "One where...aw, _man_!"  
  
Startled, Eddie looked around. "What? What? What's wrong?"  
Scott sighed loudly. "Eh, it's nothin'. Here, give me a minute. I've got company."  
Eddie suddenly saw what Scott was refering too. In a blue Manana were two very familiar girls: one black, one white. Then he saw the trademark red coat and knew at once who it was.   
  
He watched from the sidelines as Mimi closed the passenger seat and walked up to Scott. She tried to hug him, but Scott pushed her away.   
"What's the deal?" Mimi asked, frowning.   
"I'm sick of you coming up here all the time while I'm workin'," he said. "Don't you got stuff to do? Clean the house? Work?"  
Mimi frowned. "Don't be a jerk, Scott. I just wanted to see if you wanted to come to dinner with Alisha and me. That's all."  
"No," Scott said. "I don't. Get out of here and let me get back to work. You know what that is, right? Where you go to make money?"  
  
Mimi was taken aback, as was Eddie. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Mimi demanded, as Eddie walked up. "Why do you have to talk down to me all the...oh..." She looked over at Eddie as he came up.  
Scott saw, and tried to smile. "Oh, Eddie. This is Mimi. She's my--"  
"Yeah, I know her," Eddie replied. "We met before."   
"You have? When?"  
Mimi sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "A while ago," she muttered.  
Eddie nodded at her. "Is everything ok here?"  
"Everything's fine," Scott said, gritting his teeth. "We're having an argument."  
"I heard," Eddie said. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk to her like that. That's not the way a gentlemen talks to a lady."  
  
Mimi raised her eyebrow, as did Scott, but for a different reason. "Hey man," Scott said. "Maybe you should stay out of this. This is between me and her."  
"I don't think so," Eddie said, raising his voice. "Maybe you should apologize to Mimi for talking like that to her."   
"Forget this," Mimi interrupted. "We'll go alone."  
  
As she turned to walk off, the tall black girl leaned her head out of the window. "Mimi? You ok?" She turned to look at the men. "What you say to her?"  
Eddie gave Scott a dirty look. "Asshole," he cursed at him. "Go apologize to her."  
Scott gave him a Look. "Hell no. I didn't do anything."  
Eddie looked and saw Mimi storming off across the street. Her friend was walking after her, trying to comfort her. Eddie felt compelled to help her, and went after her. Scott stayed behind, fuming. Then, he whirled around and stormed back into the garage.  
  
"Mimi!" Eddie called, jogging across the street. Cars honked at him, but he ignored them. "Mimi!"  
Her friend was sitting by her on the curb, with an arm around her. She looked up at him angerly. "Mimi don't want to see you, boy," she informed him curtly.   
Mimi looked up. Her face was streaked with tears, and her mascara was running under her eyes. "No, it's ok Alisha," she said. "He's not going to bother me."  
Eddie smiled and knelt down in front of her. "You ok?" he asked, fishing into his jacket pocket for something. "Does he usually talk to you like this?"  
"Don't worry about it," Mimi said, sniffing. "He's not that bad."  
  
Eddie frowned and handed her a Kleenex. Mimi took it and wiped her eyes. "Look, Mimi," he said, "I don't think he should be talking to you like that. It's not something something a guy should say to a girl."  
Mimi shook her head. "Like I said, he's not that bad. Just mean sometimes." She examined the black on her Kleenex. "Oh god, I look like a raccoon, don't I?"  
  
Alisha reached into her purse and handed Mimi a makeup compact. Mimi opened it and gasped at her reflextion. "I look stupid," she moaned. "I got to get to a bathroom."  
"Mimi," Eddie stopped her, grabbing her wrist as she tried to stand up. "Wait a second, ok?" When she looked at him strangely, he continued. "If you were _my_ girlfriend, I wouldn't dare push you or talk mean to you. I just thought I should let you know."  
  
Mimi's eyes widened. "What did you say?"  
"Look, I hear him say nasty things about you all the time, and that's not the way a guy treats his girl, ok?"  
  
There was a pause as both Alisha and Mimi stared at him; their mouths open in surprise. Then, they both burst out laughing.   
Eddie flushed red and stood up. _Was it something I said?_ he thought, embarrassed. He felt awkward as Mimi laughed so hard that fresh tears crept down her cheeks.   
  
"What..?" Eddie dared to ask.  
Mimi tried to stop laughing. "Scott," she said finally. "Isn't my boyfriend."  
"What??"  
"He's my _brother_!!" She collapsed into more laughter.   
  
Eddie felt a feverish blush overcome him. "Oh..." he said, glancing back to the garage. He saw Scott, staring at them, while he leaned into the hood of another car. "He's your...brother? But..."  
"But what?" Mimi asked, her giggles easing. "What's the matter?"  
"Why do you come up to see him all the time?"  
She smiled. "I don't have a car," she explained. "I come to borrow his car."  
"Oh." Eddie felt terrible for yelling at Scott now. He tried to turn around and leave, but Mimi grabbed his arm and pulled him around.  
  
"Hey," she said sweetly. "It's ok. It's no big deal." She bit her lower lip, like she had a secret to tell. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you."  
Eddie scratched his head. "It's ok," he replied.  
"Here," Mimi removed something from her purse and took his hand. "Because I feel so bad, let me give you something."   
He looked and saw her clicking a pen, and then felt the tip of the pen crossing his hand. "There," she said, closing his fingers into a fist. "That should help."  
  
With a bit of a smile, she and Alisha hurried across the street to her car. As they did, Eddie opened up his hand and looked down. On his palm, Mimi had written her name and her phone number.   
**Mimosa Riley: 555-9321**  
  
He smiled and looked up. "Hey--!"  
Mimi turned and raised her eyebrows.   
"So...since Scott's not coming, do you need an extra person for dinner?"  
  
Mimi giggled as Alisha pulled on her arm. "That's ok," she said, shaking her head. "We'll go alone."  
Eddie watched them get back into the car, pull out, and then drive past them down the road. As the car passed, Mimi gave him a big smile and a wave.   
  
Eddie looked down at his hand, and then removed the piece of paper he had tucked into his pocket. He stared at Meadow's phone number, which was resting atop Mimi's phone number. He laughed.   
"Two in one day," he muttered. "That's a record."  



End file.
